A franchise that came within one victory of tying the NHL record for consecutive wins is a month later having trouble getting even the modest of streaks started.

The Blue Jackets didn’t play poorly in a 3-2 loss Monday night to the New York Rangers before 14,378 fans in Nationwide Arena. The intensity was there. So were the scoring chances. But a few crucial mistakes and a struggling power play were too much to overcome as the pattern of alternating wins and losses continued.

The Jackets, who had a 16-game winning streak snapped on Jan. 5, have won two in a row only once over the past 19 contests.

Rangers forward Jimmy Vesey capped a wild third period skating past a stumbling David Savard down the right wing and beating Sergei Bobrovsky with a slick wrist shot with 6:32 remaining. New York has won six straight as the race for the second to fourth spots in the Metropolitan Division tightened.

The Blue Jackets (35-15-5) received goals from Brandon Dubinsky and Nick Foligno. Dan Girardi, Kevin Hayes and Jimmy Vesey scored for New York.

Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella wasn’t displeased with his team’s effort on a night it outshot the opponent, 32-23, but he lamented a few miscues the Rangers turned into the goals.

The biggest was a neutral-zone turnover that led to Hayes’ breakaway goal giving New York a 2-1 lead early in the third period. Savard called for a cross-ice pass, but his partner Jack Johnson probably should have dumped the puck into the Rangers’ zone.

“The frustrating part for me is we gave them some free stuff tonight,” Tortorella said. “In a hard-fought game, a game I thought we played really well, it was for free.

“That second goal, that (puck) just has to go in (to) the (Rangers’) zone.”

The Blue Jackets went 0-of-4 on the power play, although in fairness Dubinksy’s first-period goal came as a man advantage was expiring. But the unit also allowed a shorthanded goal to Girardi just 12 seconds into the second period.

“We did a lot of good things, but that’s an opportunistic group over there,” Dubinsky said. “They score a couple off the rush in the third period, but we have to find a way to score a goal off the power play.”

The Blue Jackets have spent most of the season atop the NHL in power-play percentage, but are 0-of-14 over the last nine games. They managed just four shots last night.

Columbus also lost left wing Scott Hartnell to a lower-body injury in the first period. He crashed heavily into the end boards while diving to shoot the puck. The veteran’s left knee appeared to make initial contact with the boards.

Tortorella offered no updates on Hartnell.

Both Bobrovsky and Antti Raanta were sharp throughout, but not overly busy for two periods despite four power plays for each team. A close-checking game opened up in the third period, however.

The Blue Jackets did a better job of handling the Rangers’ speed than in the previous three games, but New York used it effectively for the final two goals. Hayes anticipated Johnson’s pass and forced a Savard turnover which resulted in a breakaway to make it 2-1.

After Foligno tied it, Vesey got behind Savard, who momentarily lost his balance. Vesey beat Bobrovsy with a perfectly-placed wrist shot just under the crossbar. The Blue Jackets came close to tying it in the dying seconds, but Raanta made saves on Cam Atkinson and Savard.

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